PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Workers at the Boot Ranch shopping center in Palm Harbor are breathing a sigh of relief after seeing a nearby retention pond filled with water once again.
Melissa Murray and Jaden Maldonado were surprised to learn the large retention pond behind their workplace was home to dozens of turtles and at least three alligators.
The two had a few wildlife sightings from time to time, but their neighbors became especially visible when construction workers began to drain the concrete pond in April. "They started draining down the water and you could actually see some of the wildlife that are dead because they had no water and no food," said Maldonado.
Various aquatic animals, including large softshell turtles and alligators, travel through a network of underground culverts to nearby retention ponds.